Aya secretly orders Atsushi to take the collar off so she can bandage his neck

She’s Dazai-san’s child, and he has no room to refuse her, so it’s with trembling fingers that Atsushi unbuckles his collar. The skin is ruined, the blood a dried, gummy ring around his neck. Atsushi’s breath comes quick and shallow the whole time that Aya dabs at his wounds with a warm, wet towel. He tries not to flinch away from her ministrations.